Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) is just one of several names, from Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) to TJX Stores (TJX) hit with analyst downgrades.

Credit Suisse analyst Christian Buss cited rising competitive pressures and declining mall traffic for his decision to cut Abercrombie to Neutral from Outperform and reducing his price target to $28 from $53. He writes:

…that competitive pressures look to be intensifying in the teen apparel sector, delaying earnings power even with a significant cost restructuring and a shift in pricing strategy for core brands. We increasingly believe the threat of structural declines in mall traffic and the rise of deep value retailers like H&M, Zara, UNIQLO, Forever 21, and Primark will make it challenging for specialty retailers like Abercrombie who do not have the scale, speed of operations, or value perception with consumers to deliver sustained earnings momentum.

Champine argues that TJX’s growth potential does not justify the current valuation. She rasied her target price to $58 from $54.

As for Ross, Champine writes:

The stock has benefited from a flight to quality, and we do not expect ROST to live up to expectations in H2 and in 2015.

Shares of TJX fell 2.1%, while Ross fell 1.4%.

Mizuho cut Urban Outfitters (URBN) to Neutral from Buy and lowered its price target to $30 from $36. According to Briefing.com, the firm expects soft third quarter results and a disappointing fourth-quarter margin. “Although URBN may rein in SG&A spending, investors will likely still be disappointed with the lack of product-led strength and inconsistency in the portfolio of brands. While sentiment is likely low following the preannouncement, shares appear fairly valued at 15x.”

The stock fell 2% today.

BMO Capital Markets cut Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) to Underperform from Market Perform with a price target set at $78.

Not all the commentary on Wal-Mart was negative. Telsey Advisory Group raised its target price to $87 from $80 following yesterday’s earnings report. MKM Partners increased the price target for the stock to $79 from $72, reiterating its Neutral rating and said the raise reflects recent multiple expansion across the market and retail.

“More than 200 Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores were closed for some period of time (ranging from a few hours to multiple days) as a result of Hurricane Sandy. The company is confident that it can make up some or most of the lost sales through the remainder of the quarter,” the company said in a statement. And yet, Macy’s still boosted sales guidance.

“We are feeling confident about our prospects for the upcoming holiday season and have increased our sales guidance for the fall season, despite the interruption caused by Hurricane Sandy in the first few days of the fourth quarter,” said CEO Terry Lundgren.

TJX (TJX) said same-store sales grew 7%, against expectations for a 4.3% rise. The company raised its third quarter and full-year guidance. More surprising: much of that strength came in Europe.

“We were particularly pleased with TJX Europe’s 11% comp sales increase, achieved over a 5% increase last year, as we continue to see increasingly strong trends in this important growth vehicle,” said CEO Carol Meyrowitz.

Shares are up 2.2.

Kohl’s (KSS) shares rose 2.7% after the company also beat expectations, with 3.3% growth, versus estimates of 1.1%. Kohl’s said it will no longer report sales on a monthly basis.

Ross Stores (ROST), however, fell 7% after the company posted 4% growth, below expectations for 4.5% growth. Ross Stores also raised EPS expectations by a penny.

TJX Cos. (TJX) was the largest gainer among the S&P 500, rising about 7% in midday trading after the company posted better than expected first quarter earnings and raised its earnings guidance. The company’s 55 cents of EPS beat expectations by a penny, and it raised its full-year guidance by a penny. TJX owns Marshalls and TJ Maxx.

“Customer traffic increased in all geographies in Q1, and we believe high-quality product at compelling prices will continue to inspire consumers. TJX should also benefit as it focuses on expanding global sourcing, and we estimate consolidated square footage will increase at a five-year CAGR of 5%.”

On the other hand, both TJX (TJX) and Ross Stores (ROST) both raised their earnings guidance after posting better than expected sales.

In general, retail sales were subdued in April; of the 20 companies that reported, saw sales rise 0.8% below expectations for 1.5% growth, according to Thomson Reuters. But the shortfall can be explained by shifts in the timing of Easter and Mother’s day. A better ay to determine sales strength is to come up with an average based on Mach and April results, Thomson Reuters noted:

“On that basis, retailers posted a 2.5% gain in same-store sales for that two-month period, a sharp drop from the 5.4% growth seen in the same period for last year. Excluding the Drug Stores group from the mix, however, makes the picture somewhat brighter: the forecast growth in the index rises to 4.5%, a drop from the 6.4% growth recorded a year earlier.”

About Stocks To Watch

Earnings reports, corporate strategies and analyst insights are all part of what moves stocks, and they’re all covered by the Stocks to Watch blog. We also look at macro issues, investor sentiments and hidden trends that are affecting the market. Stocks to Watch gives you the full picture of the U.S. stock markets, all day long.

The blog is written by Ben Levisohn, a former stock trader who has covered financial markets for the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and BusinessWeek.